THE first time I heard about Rapha Valley, I attributed it to Jehovah Rapha which means “The Lord, our Healer.” When Dr. Albert Jo, the owner of the farm located in Barangay Kumaliskis, Don Salvador Benedicto talked about Rapha Valley to the agri-tourists I brought there, I admired his explanation. He really had in mind to make his farm the place of healing—a tangible showcase of his advocacy for a healthy lifestyle.
Not long after it was established, it soon became one of my agri-tour destinations. I believe Rapha Valley is one of the tourists attractions now of Don Salvador Benedicto — that beautiful municipality in the eastern part of Negros Occidental.
But the local government must see to it the road network to Rapha Valley are repaired to have easy access.
Why does a doctor like Dr. Jo engaged in farming? Especially organic or natural farming system? His answer was for health purposes. He was obese before, an ugly sight for a physician. He is afraid to be diabetic, thus the move to shift his lifestyle. To make the story short, Dr. Jo became an organic farming doctor in the interior part of DSB. He soon became a well-sought speaker in many parts of the country for his advocacy in living a healthy lifestyle.
Actually, I was surprised to hear some people who would say: “If you listen and listen to Dr. Jo, you will have nothing to eat anymore.” On the contrary, I love the options he is giving to us for a healthy lifestyle. Not only that, most of the food he is talking about, are in our garden, or are grown locally. So we save so much in the process as far as finance is concerned.
Going to Rapha Valley requires a pre-visit booking for a maximum of 30 participants. The farm is a picturesque view of edible landscape. We were served with mostly grown produce from the farm itself, just like most of the organic farms we have in the province. It was a satisfying welcome snack and lunch that I could never forget. It is a classic farm for me.
It was amazing to eat many herbs and flowers that I have never tasted before. Personally though, it was not a first time that I tasted gumamela as part of a salad. My first taste of gumamela was as a tea from the US brought by a friend. Meaning, in some parts of the world, a lot of food processing has been going on and we are already late. But have you tried substituting saluyot with the young leaves of gumamela for your bamboo shoot?
So, what is the latest in Rapha Valley? They now have a building for live-in seminars which was under construction during our tour there. This is one area I have to interview Dr. Jo yet.
Everything that grows in their farm is grown the natural way. And the view is so breathtaking. If you haven’t visited Rapha Valley yet, do so soon.